It was nice sailing and nice weather up to Segelvik, but a bit slow and lazy on a southerly. Until I was almost there - when I tried to start the engine for taking down the sails, the battery was completely dead. I had about a mile to go with some narrow passages before the little harbour, and a very narrow entrance. I studied the outlay of the docks on Google maps, and it looked like it would be possible to go in for sail relatively safe. I wanted to take the main down before, but when I saw how little space there was at the entrance, and with rocks on both sides, I didn't dare. I worried I maybe wouldn't have enough steerage with only the genoa in the light winds. But when I turned up along the guest pontoon, I was right in the eye of the wind. I let the genoa fly and jumped onto the dock and got a midship line around a pollard and was able to stop the boat. If there had been mooring rings instead - which is very common in Sweden - I don't know how it would have ended. A little bit shaky, but very happy with the outcome of the adventure. My multimeter told me the start battery was down to 11,6 volt. Not much to hope for then, I was pretty sure I needed a new battery.

Segelvik is a very small club marina, 14 kilometers from Söderhamn. I had no idea if I could take a heavy battery on the bike rack, but it was no need to worry. As soon I told about my predicament to the local sailors the next day, one of hem promptly offered to take me there in his car. Sweden is much like Bretagne in this way - the farther north you come, the more likely it is to meet nice and helpful people.

So before the day was over, the new battery was in place and seemed to work properly, and me 200 euros poorer.